La Rentrée - “The Return”
Place de Bordeaux September Releases!
From Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite):
2019 Chateau d'Aussieres (Corbieres)
$27.49 (750ml) Pre-Arrival - Buy Now
93 JS / 92 JA / 91 WA / 91 DE
2021 CARO (Mendoza)
$59.89 (750ml) Pre-Arrival - Buy Now
96 WI / 94 JA
It’s time for what the French call La Rentrée, or "The Return." From summer holidays, to school, back to work, to life. It’s also the time for the Place de Bordeaux September releases - wines from around the world that are now being made available to us. I spotted a couple of wines that brought back some great memories, and these are now available to you as pre-arrivals.
Many years ago, I had the chance to take some trips to visit a few amazing wine properties. For one, I had the privilege to have lunch at Chateau Lafite Rothschild. I remember a lovely steak and salad in the dining room of the chateau, with a few vintages of the grand vin to go with it. Plus, we were offered a taste of the Cognac and Armagnac that were made exclusively for the family. Of course, I had both, which is why I discovered espresso to try and make it through the rest of the day’s tastings!
It was also on that trip that we made a drive down to their new estate in the
Corbieres called Chateau d’Aussieres. Eric de Rothschild had spent time hunting in the area and had fallen in love with an abandoned village and vineyard which was being restored. The village itself was to be used to house the offices, vineyard staff and eventually local artisans. The winery was in need of an overhaul, and the vineyards needed extensive replanting. It was a labor of love for not just the place, but the style of wine from the Corbieres. I do remember having 7-hour leg of lamb with the wine, it was a perfect match!
Another trip I was lucky to take was a very long flight down to South America, where we visited Chile and then had the chance to fly over the Andes (and try not to think of the movie “Alive”) to Mendoza, Argentina. No one has done more for the wines of Argentina and their reputation than Nicolas Catena, so it’s natural that when Lafite wanted a partner there it would be with them. The CARO wines (“CA” from Catena and “RO” from Rothschild) are amazing expressions of Malbec and Cabernet. And for that matter, the winery at Catena is one of the most amazing places in the wine world to visit. Needless to say, we had excellent Argentine beef while there, a perfect complement to this wine.
Just released and available as pre-arrival, both of the wines from Aussieres and Caro are great bottles to have in your cellar!
